Jewish Culture and Customs by Randy Collins

The Bible was written in a world that isn't ours. Its writers assumed their readers understood customs we've long forgotten.

Jewish Culture and Customs by Randy Collins is a 13-chapter study of the Jewish life and practice behind the biblical text.

How This Study Helps

When Mordecai tore his clothes and put on ashes, everyone around him knew exactly what he meant. When Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, His listeners heard Him unsettle generations of tradition. Modern readers slide right past moments like these because the culture behind the words has gone quiet.

Drawing on Jewish scholars and historians, with Scripture as the foundation, Randy Collins walks back through the world Jesus and His disciples lived in. The study follows the Jewish story in order, from Abraham's call forward, and hands readers the cultural keys that make many passages come alive.

What's Inside

• Early Years
• Literature, Education, and Law
• Prayer, Objects, and Garb
• The Tabernacle, Temple, and Synagogue
• Jewish Sects, Movements, and the Church
• Observing the Sabbath
• Major Feasts
• High Holidays and Fasts
• Marriage and the Family
• Food, Hospitality, and Clothing
• Jewish Commerce
• Sickness, Death, and Mourning
• Diverse Practices and Beliefs

Format & Features

Every chapter opens with a Scripture text and closes with discussion questions and space to write. Hebrew terms are used and explained throughout. Eleven reference schedules in the back cover the Hebrew names of God, the months of the Jewish year, Rambam's Thirteen Principles, the categories of Sabbath work, units of measure, a challah recipe, and more, along with a resource guide, endnotes, and a glossary. It's also available as a PDF eBook for individual use.

Who It's For

Christians who love Scripture but never learned its cultural background, Bible class teachers, small-group leaders, and preachers looking for a readable, well-sourced introduction to the Jewish world of the Bible.

Common Questions

Can I use it to teach a class?
Yes. Its 13 chapters fit a quarter of weekly classes, and each ends with discussion questions.

Do I need to know Hebrew?
No. Hebrew terms are explained as they come up.

About the Author

Randy Collins spent twenty-nine years with IBM in accounting and finance, then fifteen more in small business consulting. He became a Christian in 1958 and served thirteen years as an elder with the church in Greencastle, Indiana. He began writing adult Bible study guides in 2010 and has since written several books, including Stop…and Smell the Mints, The Garden of the Shulamite, and Growing Old Gracefully in the Lord. A certified Purdue Master Gardener, he lives in Avon, Indiana.

He also wrote Allow Your Goodness to Thrive.

Product Details

• Author: Randy Collins
• Publisher: Spiritbuilding Publishers
• Chapters: 13
• Format: Paperback; PDF eBook (individual use)
• ISBN: 9781964805924